Oscillating saws operate by oscillating a blade having a short row of teeth. The teeth point in the direction of the material to be cut and are oscillated generally parallel to the surface of such material. Accordingly, the blade can be pushed perpendicularly into the material to perform what is known as a plunge cut.
Known blades for oscillating saws suffer from a number of drawbacks. In many styles of blade, the row of teeth is linear, but the blade is oscillated by rotation. Even when such rotation occurs over a small angular span and at a large radius, the blade often hammers the target material. That is, because the row of teeth is straight and tangential to the path of oscillation, each tooth is at a different distance from the center of oscillation and thus each tooth tends to have a component of motion that is perpendicular to the surface of the material being cut. Hammering increases towards the ends of the blades and can reduce cutting efficiency and add to physical stress on the operator.
Known blades may also have teeth that are oriented with cutting faces in the same direction, so that the blade only cuts in one direction. Resistance from the material being cut is thus unbalanced and this can lead to the blade pulling in the direction opposite the cutting faces. Moreover, at one end of the blade, the outermost tooth faces away from the material and thus does not cut effectively, and may hammer the material, cause undue heating, and prevent cuttings from being ejected efficiently or cause cuttings to be compacted.
It may also be the case that a blade is bent in the region of the teeth to reduce binding of the blade in the material being cut. A wave-like blade profile is often employed to provide an amount of kerf. However, wave-like profiles often extend a substantial distance towards the bulk of the blade, which consumes space that could otherwise be used to eject cuttings. The result may be reduced ejection of cuttings and increased heat accumulation.
Further, it is also known to make oscillating saw blades from sections of material also used to make band saw blades. The above drawbacks are frequently seen in such blades.